Södra Skanstull masterplan

Stockholm needs 160,000 new homes by 2030. To achieve this, a denser city is needed, where different neighbourhoods are naturally linked, and boundaries between the inner city and the suburbs are reduced. The Södra Skanstull masterplan aims for a safe, well-connected area, at one with nature – a walkable city district that enhances wellbeing.

The walkable city

Skanstull is a multifaceted area of Stockholm’s Södermalm. From Årstaviken’s nature trails, boat and sporting activities, to the area’s pulsating creative, cultural and club life; Skanstull’s lifeblood is its diversity. Busy road infrastructure and flyovers dominate the area. At the upper levels, there is a wealth of commercial and retail activity, giving rise to overcrowded, inefficient public spaces. There are many barriers to pedestrian mobility, formed by the differences in level created by the roads and bridges. In contrast to the adjacent Hammarby Sjöstad, Södra Skanstull is abruptly cut off from city life.

Designed in collaboration with the City of Stockholm, the new masterplan improves street level connectivity as part of a wider densification strategy to create a walkable city.

Central to the design approach is using the existing context as a basis, taking what’s already there, and building upon it.

The masterplan builds on Södra Skanstull’s identity by mapping, upgrading and enhancing existing facilities. The new district provides: 65,000sqm for culture, sports and offices, 22,000sqm for commercial use, as well as 750 new apartments. By reappraising the spaces between the dominating transport infrastructure, these underused portions of the city can be given a new lease of life. In addition to new spaces, new streets are planned for pedestrians and cyclists to increase citizen mobility.

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A city that allows all people to thrive will engender motivated citizens that not only accept necessary changes, but embrace them and demand them as a part of their own life.

Krister Lindstedt, Lead Masterplanner

The basic logic for the plan is to place buildings along the bridges to support walkability, improve public space and increase green infrastructure. These new structures will absorb noise and pollutants to shape a quieter and cleaner public realm. A number of new streets and thoroughfares are planned to gently divide larger blocks, improving the area’s connectivity. New housing is built in a way that all homes look out onto private green courtyards that provide clean air and quiet bedrooms.

One of the most significant additions is the new diagonal boulevard for pedestrians and cyclists, making use of the old railway yard to improve east-west movement between the upper and the lower levels. This means that cyclists can reach the inner city without having to pass the most intense traffic on the upper level. Retail, cafes and restaurants are earmarked at ground level of the diagonal boulevard, contributing to active streetscapes and a diversity of public life.

Södra Skanstull will be a sports and recreation centre that connects to the entertainment hub of Globen and Tele2 Arena.

The masterplan reimagines Södra Skanstull as a sports and recreation centre that links to the entertainment hub of Globen and Tele2 Arena. The strategic plan preserves the 1920s Eriksdalsbad swimming centre, popular sports facilities and community allotments, which were identified as strong cultural assets by local residents and organisations. Local stakeholders have played a vital role in the process to date, and will continue to influence the shaping of their neighbourhood. Scattered green spaces are woven into a lakeshore park, peppered with outdoor gyms where people can walk and run. Existing cultural gems, such as the well-loved Trädgården club under the bridges, are left untouched.